More than 5,500 people in the North East have signed a petition saying Donald Trump should be banned from entering the UK.

But the American politician has refused to apologise after calling for a complete ban on Muslims going to the US.

And it was reported that he plans to come to Britain to open his Trump Turnberry golf course in Scotland next year.

Mr Trump, who hopes to be the Republican candidate in next year’s US Presidential elections, sparked outrage when he issued a statement calling for “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”

It was a response to a shooting in San Bernardino, California, where a married Muslim couple murdered 14 people and injured 21.

He then claimed that extremists had made parts of London unsafe, saying: “We have places in London and other places that are so radicalised that police are afraid for their own lives.”

In all 400,000 people nationwide have now signed a petition which says: “The signatories believe Donald J Trump should be banned from UK entry.”

It means a committee of MPs will consider whether the call should be debated in Parliament.

The Home Secretary, Theresa May, has previously banned “hate preachers” who promote extremist views from the UK and campaigners say Mr Trump should be banned in the same way.

But Mr Trump issued a statement saying British politicians should thank him for investing in the country, highlighting his investment in a golf course and resort in Scotland.

He said: “The UK politicians should be thanking me instead of pandering to political correctness.”

And he insisted: “I have respect for the Muslim people and have great friendships with many Muslims, some of whom I do business with but they themselves admit there is a major problem with radicalisation.

“As President, I will work with Muslim representatives to determine a solution to eradicate the terrorism that has plagued the credibility of the Muslim community.”

An opinion poll by YouGov found there was some support for Mr Trump’s views in the UIK.

Asked whether his call for a ban on all Muslims entering the United States was “an appropriate or inappropriate policy for the US”, 34% of people in the North of England said it was appropriate while 55% said it was inappropriate.